GIANTfingers
"...this chamber-art-rock collective sounds like a what-if-David Byrne
-went-back-to-his-roots-and-only-played-classic-music-vibe." Village Voice
Matt Goeke - Phil Ligori - Michel Cumella - Dusty Wright
Occupying a languid no man's land between atmospheric soundscapes and tranquil "slow-core" with a strident undercurrent of countrified twang (courtesy of resident "metaphysical cowboy" Dusty Wright), the self-proclaimed chamber-folk music quartet GIANTfingers is not an easy project to accurately peg, given its diverse and constantly morphing nature. Fittingly spawned, however inadvertently, from "incidental music" composed for a television biography on Andy Warhol, what started as the amusing dalliance of dreaming up "Velvet Underground-like music" for singer/songwriter Dusty Wright took on a life of its own. Using that premise as a catalyst, and welding it with the penchant for cinematic Americana that defines his solo work, Wright devised GIANTfingers as an outlet to uncharted territories. After a few line-up changes, Wright recruited master cellist Matt Goeke, whose impressive classical pedigree contributes an otherworldly presence to the proceedings far beyond simply invoking John Cale's screeching viola from the Velvet Underground.
Though a large percentage of their debut disc specializes in pieces that arrive with the urgency of warm molasses, GIANTfingers don't just ooze. "Baby's On Fire," for one, builds gradually from a Velvety strut into a full-fledged lope with Goeke's cello matching Wright's vocal ire. Moreover, the radio friendly galloping beat of "Harder To Understand" (with lyrics based on a poem by Hungarian poet Janos Gat) features percussionist Yael's driving djembe. At their best, however, the band conjures up a seductive ambiance that recalls a warm desert twilight. This is especially true on the maudlin folk ballad "Tempest." Unfolding like a cinematic opus it begins with Wright's delicate 12-string arpeggio and climaxes with the seductive "siren" background vocals of Ms. Laura Fay Lewis. Throughout these 10 songs Wright's earnest vocals do help ground the proceedings from meandering too far off into the mystic. It's a fragile merger of seemingly opposed sides, but somehow it all meshes together like fractal design.
WATCH SWIRL VIDEO
Don't be lulled, however, into thinking that GIANTfingers are just another gaggle of doped-up bohos in paisley shirts with poser haircuts. This is more than just music made by hookah-tooting navel-gazers. Unfettered by any ersatz notion of fleeting hipsterism, the members of this band were borne of a dizzying cross-section of musical origins and styles wherein they honed their unique chops.
Prior to GIANTfingers, Matt Goeke had, and still does, lent his string-sawing skills to various classical projects, as well as the arty-experimentation of Church of Betty. Having recently lost their long time bass player, Matt and Dusty decided to forgo replacing him and try a different texture. Keyboard wizard Erik Deutsch from Boulder, CO defies adequate superlatives. He is one of the hottest young players on the scene today. Check out his piano chops with his recently formed jazz trio, his quintet Country Road X, or with veteran keyboard/drummer Art Lande's project Triangle. Anchoring the entire affair was drummer/percussionist Jerry Krenach. His subtle, tasteful playing adds a granite foundation etched in metronomic grace having honed his skills with Lou Reed and Chris Whitley.
A droolingly avid musicologist himself, ubiquitous scene fixture Dusty Wright has dipped his busy hands into a variety of projects, from the hearty American folk-rock flair of The Dusty Diamonds and the gentle alt-country stylings of the Wright Brothers to the proto-grunge garage-blitz shenanigans of the seminal Bastards of Execution (a criminally under-heralded NYC noise combo who briefly made long greasy hair, loud obnoxious guitars and garish Hawaiian shirts seems inexorably linked.) Dusty seems hell-bent on creating yet another potent brand of music for friends and music fans.
The unlikelihood of these seemingly scattershot elements alchemizing into the shimmering lush, otherworldliness of GIANTfingers only enhances their mystique. They are currently recording their sophomore effort Happened Upon and playing out live to flush out the arrangements of numerous new songs. These shows should not be missed. I know you will enjoy the experience.
BANJO JIM'S
700 East 9th Street & Avenue C
New York, NY 10003
Tuesday, March 11th
10:00 pm
OPIA
with Antoine Blech
130 East 57th @ Lexington Ave
Wednesday, April 30th
9:00 PM
$10
